Monday, August 24, 2020

Excess Baggage (Babes of Brighton #1) by Laura Barnard | ARC | A Book Review

Excess Baggage (Babes of Brighton #1) by Laura Barnard | ARC | A Book Review by iamnotabookworm!


Every time Laura Barnard has a new book coming out or she wants to relaunch one of her books, she always sends me a message through Instagram and asks if I want to be a part of the launch or review the book. I always say yes because her stories are always hilarious and the characters are very real and imperfect. I find some of her characters irritating at first and then you will end up rooting for them. There was one story where I wasn't sure if I liked the main character but I really enjoyed the whole book which actually speaks a lot about the ability of the author to keep her audience. So, I was just thrilled when she asked me again to read and review this book. Excess Baggage was released August 18, 2020.

This book is another one with a very clumsy and imperfect main character in it. Erica is far from being perfect. I think she has the misfortune of always embarrassing herself in front of the guy she likes. The situations she gets herself into are the stuff that would mostly go viral on the internet if they were caught on camera that should never see the light of day. Yes, I feel so sorry for her every time this happens. Her character reminds me of Lindsay Lohan's character in 'Just My Luck. '

This is a second chance romance every one would wish would happen in their life except for the accidents that happen to Erica. She's like an accident magnet which reminds me of one of my bestfriends who happen to fall most of the time. At least, my friend only got scratches and a little blood here and there. Unlike Erica whose minor accidents are pictures you can't un-see.

This story had me thinking if I like Erica's character at all. I am not sure but I sure do wish she'd end up with Jack. I think Erica's character wasn't so striking except for holding her head high every after embarrassing situation she's into. But aside from that, I don't find a lot of other things endearing in her character. This story is at times hilarious but it came to a point where it felt predictable, especially where Erica is involved. I would most likely could tell when something embarrassing would happen to her again. 

I give this story 2.75/5 loosely tied bikini tops.  Though the story is very easy to read and you would want to finish it in one reading, I felt it to be so predictable. Of all the stories of Barnard that I've read, this is probably the less engaging of all. I wasn't so taken with the story. There were very few points of interest that would make you wonder what's going on like what Jack's hiding. But other than that, you pretty much would know how the story would end or when Erica would humiliate herself again. So, this was okay but I've read her other stories and they were more entertaining and delightful than this one. I would have given this a lower rating but I remember there were some parts, though very few, that had me curious. Jack's character is also a saving grace for this story. He's everything you would want in a guy and he's very protective and patient with Erica. I am glad that his feelings for Erica is as sure as the next moment Erica will embarrass herself. Realizing this was the first book in the series, and I've read book three, is I guess a good thing. Bagging Alice, book three, is way more hilarious and more fun to read. I like the cover of this book though. 



All I know is that the butterflies that have been lying dormant in my stomach have come back to life, flying around screaming 'He's here! He's here!'
- Laura Barnard, Excess Baggage (Babes of Brighton #1) - 



Thank you again, Laura Barnard for the advanced review copy. I look forward to reading your other books. 



Other books by Laura Barnard: 





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